[smoothmoose]

So after test riding a bike with i9 wasp shawm hubs - I was starting to get a headache. I'm wonder what other hubs are less annoying to but still offer good engagement?

I've heard DT with 54 ratchet upgrade is pretty buzzy as well. I know there are "silent" hubs out there as well, but I don't want that either.

What do you guys recommend? Planning new wheels for both my MTB and gravel bikes.

 

[Suns_PSD]

Project 321 is light, very low rolling resistance, and they have a silent option that is nearly silent but still makes a very light noise.

I have had a set since they were a new product and considered the high end options for a new wheel build (DT180, Vesper, Torch) but decided to go with the same product again, Project 321 as I feel they offer the best balance of features.

 

[klatekin]

Try putting some grease instead of oil in that I9 hub driver, mine quieted down substantially

 

[gregnash]

You can quiet down the DT Swiss hubs by adding a slightly heavier shmear of grease to the ratchets. As the grease degrades over time/riding they will get slightly louder but I have never felt they were annoyingly loud like I9s or Kings. Other option would be the lower engagement ring on the DT Swiss, wont necessarily be quieter but would be a different decibel of hub sound.

 

[Schulze]

Shimano XTR 9000 and White Industry hubs fit this category. They're less loud than DT 54 or 36T. I have all of these hubs so I know what I'm talking about.

 

[Impetus]

My Hadley hub is quieter than the I9s most of my friends ride with.
My Hope hub is a little quieter than my Hadley.

I can usually hear my Hadley hub over the noise of tires on gravelly dirt.

I usually hear tires over my Hope hub.


Both go nearly silent for about 10-12 rides with a few drop or two of pfte lube in the pawls, as Hadley recommends.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[One Pivot]

My XTR is pretty quiet, but not silent. Its really a beautiful hub too. Only 36pt, but thats about all I can fault it for. Might have the nicest bearings on the market!

White industries are 48pt, titanium fhb, beautiful in appearance and quality, and quiet.

My pro4 is LOUD. I'm not sure if some people have weaker springs in their hopes or what, but If im coasting its too loud to have a conversation over.

 

[*OneSpeed*]

White Industries. Very pleasant middle of the road noise.

The new Industry Nine Hydra hubs aren't as loud as the Torch series. You can also add a bit of grease to the pawls to quiet them down a bit, unlike the Torch hubs which only oil was recommended. The new Hydra's use leaf springs as opposed to coil springs in the Torch series.

Hadley is pretty quiet with some oil in there. You can remove the bath oil and it will be a bit louder, it's still not super loud though.

I had to sell my Hope Pro4 because it's the loudest thing on Earth.

Project 321 is pretty quiet, almost silent, with the "quiet" pawls. Again, you can remove the oil bath and it will be a more medium sound, but still pretty quiet.

I think White Industries fits the sound profile you're asking for the best. Nice hubs, especially for the money.

 

[Shartist]

Hold on Goldilocks, don’t give up the awesome engagement and performance of those i9’s just yet! Wipe out the oil from the drive ring and slather some Dumonde Tech PRO X Freehub Grease in those i9’s and they’ll quiet right down. They’ll gradually get loud again, but it takes quite awhile (proportional to the amount of grease you use) and it’s easily remedied by a quick cleaning with a rag/cotton swab and re-greasing of the pawls and drive ring.

 

[changingleaf]

I agree, XTR and White Industries.

 

[celstark]

My Ibis branded 36 pawl hubs fall nicely into that modest noise category. I hate loud hubs...

 

[fredcook]

Anyone notice how different wheel builds affect how loud a hub can be?

I had a Hope on a Mavic rim, and it howled like nuts. Even had almost a ring to it, like the spokes (they were generic) were harmonizing. I now have a Hope on a WTB rim with DT Swiss spokes. No scientific measurement, but it seems to be half as loud.

 

[c_trail_biker]

I have had I9's for a season now, I kind of like the noise. It reminds me that I'm not pedaling enough. When the situation calls for not pedaling, I'm focused on something technical and don't really pay attention to the sound.

The 54T ratchet on DT Swiss does make some noise but not as loud as the I9 Torches. The noise on the DT Swiss is not uniform throughout the rotation. It issort of like RRRRRrrrRRRR. This is normal, but I've had people ask if it meant there was a problem. I think it may have something to due with the uneven tension of the spiral springs pushing the ratchets together.

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

My first move would be to invest <$20 on Dumond Tech Pro X freehub grease and apply that to the ratchet & pawls. It makes a huge difference.

If still unhappy, then look to replace with any of the above suggestions. I can attest that Hydra is significantly quieter than Torch, although Torch with grease is much quieter than Torch with the stock oil

I have both Hydra & Torch and have used both the grease & oil extensively. The Hydra/Grease combo is pretty quiet.

 

[Harold]

I have Hope Pro 2, I9 Torch, and I9 Hydras in the fleet.

From loudest to quietest, it's Hope > Torch > Hydra, with Hope the loudest by a notable margin.

I have noticed some subtle differences in hub loudness depending on the build differences. I have Hydra classics in a 29er config, with alu rim and mine are quieter than some other Hydra wheels I've encountered on the trails (I'm local to I9, so their wheels are everywhere out here, in many different permutations).

 

[smoothmoose]

My Ibis branded 36 pawl hubs fall nicely into that modest noise category. I hate loud hubs...

YES - that's what I have on my OEM wheels. I've heard they are DT internals? Like em, but would like to get a bit more engagement with my wheel upgrade.

 

[smoothmoose]

Also - haven't seen/heard any I9 101? How do they sound?

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

YES - that's what I have on my OEM wheels. I've heard they are DT internals? Like em, but would like to get a bit more engagement with my wheel upgrade.

I had 54t DT. from memory, noise was similar to my current Hydras.

 

[In2falling]

 

[smoothmoose]

View attachment 1274779

Not my style. I want to hear the wind, mountain lions, and other trail users! That's why I don't want to ride with a swarm of wasps in the rear wheels.